With the recent publication of the Law Commission report, clearly moves are afoot in the residential leasehold world to balance out the disparity between the rights of landlords and those of their tenants. Time will only tell what is finally put on the platter for general consumption on that planet. But let us travel deeper into the universe and visit planet ComZog, commonly known on Earth as the commercial leasehold world. Read more...

Carer’s leave was introduced on 6 April 2024, and changes were made to redundancy protection for pregnant employees and new parents. Paternity leave entitlements were also amended. Read more…

The By Lawyers Financial Remedy publication has been reviewed and updated by our authors as part of our continuing review process. The review included several new precedents and greater commentary detail.

Part of our series of common legal questions and their answers, we look at the difference between owning a property as joint tenants or tenants in common. Read more...

Legal Aid Regulations have been amended to exclude payments made under the Windrush Compensation Scheme as income or capital in determining the eligibility of legal aid.

Following user feedback, a new letter has been added to the Divorce publication providing advice on judicial separation as an alternative to divorce or dissolution.

Following a recent request, and in consultation with our family law author, we have developed a Questions on the financial statement precedent for the Financial remedy guide. Read more...

By Lawyers have published an article with a summary of the options for signing documents when meetings are not possible. Practitioners may find this useful due to the government ‘lockdown’ measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article can be found here.

The Private Child Arrangements guide has been extensively reviewed and updated to ensure that the commentaries and precedents are in line with current law and practice. Read more...

The Criminal commentary has been enhanced with information about the new technology and case management platforms being introduced in police stations, prisons and courts. More detail has also been added around the practical aspects of hearings, including video and telephone hearings. New guidance leaflets for clients Enclosure – Checklist for client going to court, Enclosure – Information sheet – Magistrates’ Court process and Enclosure – Information sheet – Crown Court process have been added to assist practitioners in preparing their clients.

Discussion of trust of land claims has been added to the Financial Remedy guide, enabling family law practitioners to gain an appreciation of the case law and process in this area. Covering an overview of trust law, a number of key cases and practical points to consider when dealing with disputes and making applications to court, this section of the guide will help practitioners when encountering this complex area. More informaiton is also available in the Freehold Property Disputes guide.

To enhance our Practice Management guide, a precedent Referral Fee Agreement has been added helping firms to comply with regulator requirements around transparency and due diligence when accepting introductions from third parties.

The commentary has been amended to clarify the process of extension of leasehold estates under the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 and the consequential statutory reduction of rent to a peppercorn rental which is not open to the landlord to dispute.

New precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family and Debt Recovery publications: The Family Court – Court bundle cover page and spine and Family Court – Court bundle index have been added to the Financial Remedy and Private Child Arrangements guides. The County Court, High Court and Appeal Court – Trial bundle cover page and County Court, High Court and Appeal Court – Trial bundle index have been added to the Debt Recovery guides. The precedents are customised for each court and comply with each court's requirements. The precedents will assist practitioners to create an indexed collection of documents that the parties rely on during the hearing. A properly compiled and indexed court bundle or trial bundle allows solicitors, counsel and the bench to easily navigate the matter.

To complement the new ‘Your Finances’ app for gathering financial information from clients, two new letters have been added to the Financial Remedy guide. The first, Letter to client instructed to commence proceedings with financial remedy – Form E shared via LawConnect, contains step-by-step instructions for using LawConnect which clients can follow. The second, Letter to client with financial statement for signing – eSignature, contains guidance for clients on signing the Financial Statement using DocuSign. We invite you to explore these new letters. Comments and feedback are always welcomed.